The First Slam Dunk

The First Slam Dunk centres on Ryota Miyagi, a point guard whose quick thinking and speed set him apart on the court. Growing up in Okinawa, he followed an older brother into basketball and has carried that bond with him since. Now in his second year at Shohoku High School, he plays alongside Hanamichi Sakuragi, Kaede Rukawa, Takenori Akagi and Hisashi Mitsui. The team, regarded as underdogs, reaches the Inter-High national championship and finds itself facing Sannoh Kogyo High School, the reigning title holders. The match becomes the test of whether the Shohoku players can hold their own against a side considered far stronger.

The film was directed and written by Takehiko Inoue, the creator of the manga the story comes from, and produced by Toshiyuki Matsui for Toei Animation, Toei Company and DandeLion Animation Studio. Inoue's directorial work on the film is separate from his career as a manga artist. The voice cast includes Shugo Nakamura as Ryota, Subaru Kimura as Hanamichi, Shinichiro Kamio as Rukawa, Kenta Miyake as Akagi, Jun Kasama as Mitsui and Katsuhisa Houki as coach Mitsuyoshi Anzai.

Released in December 2022, the film runs 125 minutes and earned 258 million US dollars worldwide, a notably large return. On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from around 13,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.8 out of 10 from 567 votes. The critics' rating stands at 8.2 out of 10 from 47 reviews, above the audience scores on both sites.